Babesta blog

Book making at Scribble Press

My mother-in-law just introduced me to a pretty cool thing on the UES & UWS - Scribble Press. Kids can write and illustrate their own books  and then have them professionally bound on site. With a wall of markers, pens and inspiration, kids can set their creative minds free on the pages, whether it be a 8 page board book or a longer "chapter" book they have in mind. I definitely made may share of books as a kid (though they were decidedly less "professional" -- we bound them ourselves with cardboard, contact paper, glue and string). This will definately be a holiday go-to for a fun afternoon. They also do classes and parties. www.scribblepress.com.

 

Natural History Mystery

I am a huge fan of the AMNH in New York. I can always count on the museum with its butterfly exhibits, gargantuan dinosaurs, animals and minerals to entertain an afternoon away. But they've upped the ante lately, hosting clue-collecting mysteries on museum floors for families with kids 10 and up. They call it a puzzle meets a walking tour meets theater. It definitely looks like a blast! $40 each, until December 31. Find out more here. 

Being Elmo

I never thought I'd be saying this, but I'm strangly drawn to the new movie, opening tomorrow, called "Being Elmo." Although that chirpy voice is decidedly behind me and my kids cringe at the mention of his name (that's so bayyybeeish!), I'm curious to find out more about that man behind the phenomena. 

The film documents the journey of the puppeteer and creator, Kevin Clash, and has been acclaimed at a slew of film festivals including Sundance and SXSW. Playing at IFC in NYC starting tomorrow, Friday, October 21.

Watch the trailer for BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER'S JOURNEY.

 

I'm always looking for quick getaways out of the city, and this past weekend, we ventured 2 hours north up to Litchfield County, CT, a bucolic haven that I've always thrown around as my dream "summer home" spot (without ever having gone). It didn't disappoint. We chose to splurge on a quirky place I read about years ago on coolhunting.com and recently spotted on luxurylink.com (a site that offers deals on luxury hotels), Winvian. Each guest at Winvian chooses a cottage -all of which are decidedly kitschy--including the Treehouse (which is up on stilts), Secret Society (an exaggerated Yale-ish skull & bones windowless lair), and the Helicopter (which has a 17,000 pound restored 1968 Sikorsky Sea King Pelican HH37 as decor inside).

We chose the one-room Golf cottage, with silly flags around the bed that was wall-to-wall carpeted with a putting green. There were clubs and balls galore, and the kids had a blast putting around the room. In lieu of the fancy restaurant on premises (which looks amazing, but we guessed wouldn't have chicken nuggets), we ventured into the town to The Village Restaurant, which is an easy spot to go with kids, with decent food and a lively crowd. 

There's plenty to do between lawn games on premises, a game of tennis, hiking at the White Memorial Nature Preserve and antiquing (if the kids can bear with it). Winvian also offers special cooking lessons and glass blowing classes, and adventures at the Skip Barber Racing School at Lime Rock. We chose to go biking--as it was a gorgeous day. It is the oddest Relais & Chateaux property that I've visited, but it was definitely luxury, with a tongue in cheek, not taking itself too seriously charm. www.winvian.com

In Da 'Hood- Downtown Dance Factory

 

 

Recently, Downtown Dance Factory, the go-to spot for when your kid wants to learn how to cut a rug (not literally!)  added adult classes to the mix. What better way to de-stress, work out and have fun than with a  jazz/ hip hop dance workout, zumba, or rock’n’roll ballet class. $20 per class or $150 for a ten-class card. Located at 291 Broadway, 5^th floor (corner of Reade Street). Classes Monday- Saturday, with no need to book in advance. -IW

For further information visit http://www.downtowndancefactory.com/adult-class-types.php or call (212) 962-1800.

 

Flying Trapeze in Midtown Manhattan

Is it a bird? A plane? No! It's your Babesta on a flying trapeze! An experience like no other -this must be done once in a lifetime (and why not when you're at your most fearless!) Located in Midtown, this amazing school offers classes to perfect your flying technique, acrobatic and aerial skills. They even do birthday parties! Check it out at http://newyork.trapezeschool.com. -IW

The Time Out Chair @ MoMA

It's time-out with a twist! On January 15th at Noon, MoMA is debuting "The Time-Out Chair" by Josh Selig. Selig spent his formative years on the set of Sesame Street as a child actor. In his 20's he returned to Sesame Street as a writer.  This short film debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival some years ago and was since acquired by the MoMA. The Time-Out Chair is a six minute story which begins with a young girl leaving her preschool with her time-out chair in tote, off on an adventure in NY's East Village. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker. 

For further information about family Programs at MoMA, visit www.moma.org/family or call 212 708 9805.

-IW

I (heart) hip hop! @ the National Museum of Hip Hop (coming soonish)

 

We definitely heart hip hop over here at Babesta, and we can't wait to check out the National Museum of Hip Hop when it comes to fruition - with its full sized tag-if-you-want to train and celebration of all things hip hop. Craig Wilson, the co-founder of the museum says it's more than just music- it's culture. He describes four pillars: dance (B-boying/break dancing), technical (DJing), artistic (graffiti) and emceeing (hip hop/rap music). Right now they're just raising money, but they have some big names behind it like Russell Simmons and Chuck D. They were given a shoutout in the NY Times, interviewed by NPR, and now they've been Babestafied. Finally a museum moms will not have to drag their teenage sons to.

 

Been There, Done That: Brain - The Inside Story at the AMNH

On the heels of watching Megamind, we were in a brainy mood. Luckily the American Museum of Natural History was too. Their new exhibit, Brain, The Inside Story, was a lot of fun, and there are facinating takeaways for all ages.

 

You enter into darkness, and are presented pulsating lights moving along wires hanging from the walls and ceiling, a cool representation of the intricate communication network of neurons firing through the mind. (The display was created by Spanish contemporary artist, Daniel Canogar). After that intro, you are lead to watch a film of a dancer who is preparing for a recital, while next to the screen, a giant brain lights up as the parts of the brain are explained as she uses them.

After that, it's a free-for-all of interactive activities - some more interesting for adults and some great for kids. Both would enjoy the color test where there were 10-15 colors listed on the wall, written in different colors (red - written in orange, yellow - written in green, etc.) You had to say aloud the color it was written in (rather than the word itself) and see how fast you could do it. It is surprisingly difficult to keep your brain from being distracted by the written word.

There were hands-on neuron simulators, blurry pictures of sports, music and political figures that were recognizable despite their inexactness and numeric and pictoral memory games. Most tellingly, there was an interactive video where a mom told a child that he couldn't have a cookie. Then kids using the interactive could choose their next move (e.g. listen to mom or grab the cookie), while the monitor told all the feelings and physiological changes (stress, sweat, rapid heart) that would result from their actions. Needless to say, I saw 10 kids take this test, and each and every one of them opted to disregard mom's advice and steal the cookie. Not so sweet!

In our obligatory pass through the gift shop we got the obligitory squishy brain ($5.00), where when you squeeze it, the eyeballs pop out.

 

Totally recommend this. Go early or purchase tix in advance (we took two trips to the museum this weekend as Saturday was sold out ).

Now thru August 15, 2011, @ American Museum of Natural History - Central Park West at 79th Street.

Stroller Tours and Family Fun at the Whitney Museum of American Art

It's never to early to inspire his artist inside. Although "museum" and "newborn" seem like a pretty counter-intuitive combination, for the Whitney Museum, the invitation's open. 

Babies aged 0-18 months, and their culturally curious albeit sleep deprived parents, are invited to the "Stroller Tour" series. Parents register ahead of time and are guided through exhibits with other parents at a time when the museum is closed to the public. It's $25, and well worth the peace of mind you get from not having to worry if the baby isn't librarian-quiet. 

For families with kids, the Whitney also arranges hands on art projects based on an exhibit, and provides a forum where families may get together with contemporary artists to share ideas and opinions on exhibits. This really brings the art to life, and engages kids in a dialogue about the art on the wall and their own artistic aspirations.

Coming soon in December: Stroller tours

FRI., DEC 3 12–1 PM	Stroller Tours Paul Thek: Diver, A Retrospective
FRI., DEC 10 12–1 PM	Stroller Tours Charles LeDray: workworkworkworkwork
FRI., JAN. 7, 2011 12–1 PM	Stroller Tours Paul Thek: Diver, A Retrospective
FRI., JAN. 21, 2011 12–1 PM	Stroller Tours Charles LeDray: workworkworkworkwork

Family Activities: [through December on Select Saturdays]

Taking cues from the artist, kids and parents will consider how Charles LeDray has transformed familiar objects like hats, shirts, and suits into sculpture. Families will then experiment with transforming every day objects into works of art! 

Check back monthly for the latest activities, exhibits and opportunities for families here.